The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-08-10
a Fnvor,to Sport In Gouthcrn California
-Thc Gnme Caught Nnp?Ing.

-Thc Gnme Caught Mapping.
Tho f~avovite sport in northern California
ana over the entire state il couraing with
grcyhOundR, Some Of the finest dogs in
tho world are owned in this state. and so
finely are they trained and bred that tho
juckrabbit, one Of the swiftcSt of its kind,
has little chance of escape from them.
Til ovolutions OF pursued and prrsucrs
arc Of the greatest interest. The badger,
while common, IL rarely met with. and
not ono Californian in n thousand has
seen fonc alive i'll tho open country,
though probably thousands have fallen
into badger holes. In appearances the
animal resembles q short, ila;tCncl out
bear. Tia colOrs arc black and white,
attractivoly arranged, so that it presents
Il striking and conspicuous appearance.
Its mouth is armed with n powerful
array of teeth, and in the arrangement
OF the jaw wc find q popularity not
found in any other mammal, so that it
Is almost impossible to dislOcatc it,
which explains The bulldog Ike t~cnacity
OF the ANIMALS grip, In its habits tho
badger isduiet and harmless, remaining
in lis burrow during tie day time, and
roaming around at night in search OF
food.
III oldcn times in England, badger bait
Ing consisted in capturing the animal,
placing it in n depression III the ground,
and then setting the dogs upon it. Tho
dog that succeeded in taking it out and
killing ii WAS supposed g. bo the victor,
though all undoubtedly aided in wearing
it out. In southern California the Gu
rious animal is occasionally found ont of
it's burrow during the day, and will nf-
ford fine sport TO riders who enlcavor TO
capture it by tho aid Of dogs. n robust
badger is n match for half a dozen orGi-
nary grey hounds, hence the fight is not
so oncsided rs might 10 imagined.
Ono morning just'as the sun was riding
over tho Arizona desert and starting the
night shadows in tho deep ANYONE Of tho
Sierra Madrcs, n party of horsemen rode
over the mesa. literally wading through
tho flowers. a pack of gTcyhounds fol-
lowed, while u number of foxhounds ran
hero and there breaking ont now and
then into fitful intonation3 az n rabbit
trail was crossed. Finally y great com
motion il heard in II clump OF eucalyptus
trees; Il rush is made, the horscncn sur
rounding the spot whore tho hounds aro
u%ttering cries that tell of game in
tho tolls. For q moment nothing
Is seCili then q black and whito
furry object, as big rs somc Of tho
dogs, appears in the midst Of them;
now on its back, swapping ~viciously; now
clinging to a dog with n vico like grip,
and tearing with its powerful claws. Tho
badgerha been cuught mapping, and was
poumce,i upon by The dogs while lying in
n root hole, where some ono had taken
up n eucalyptus. In this fortiflcation tho
animal had an advantage which it was
not slow to follow up. and as tho excited
dogs fell or rolled in upon it they were
bitten, torn and scratched with n spirit
that told OF considerable reserve power
On the part ct the animal.
Good fox hounds ere rare in southern
California, and as there were several In
the pack taking shcir punishment too
well TO suit their owners, the latter made
an attempt to ciogo in OF the badger; biz
the dogs, wild with rage, crowded on,
and in a monlont inc unfortunate bcast